Deep Down the Dusty Path of Darkness
by AvengersShieldBellatrixWhovian
Summary: Set Fifth Year/No Umbridge. Dark Hermione. When Hermione returns to Hogwarts her fifth year the change in her should be visible for all to see, but it isn't. The only one that sees it is Snape, reluctantly he offers to help her back from path she's on to have the offer rebuffed. When he notices how deep Hermione has delved into darkness, - Full Summary inside.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Harry Potter.

Prologue

"How could you let her get in this deep?," it is a question that is laced with unspoken accusations and coldness, Severus has heard that tone before from Albus and yet this time it stings like a slap to the face. The feeling only lasts briefly before its replaced with anger.

Why was it up to him to stop her getting in this deep?, he wasn't her head of house or one of her friends. Maybe if they had noticed her changing before their eyes or hadn't so willingly left her to her own devices then today never would have happened.

But today had happened and nothing anyone did now could change the events of today.

The look in Albus's eyes tells Severus that now isn't the time to voice that the blame doesn't fall squarely on him.

"When I first realised what Miss Granger had gotten herself into I tried to help her, she didn't want it. When I realised how far she'd actually gone I tried to control the situation an up until today I had."

He knows that Albus wants to hear it isn't the girl's fault that she was unwillingly dragged down the path she's on, but that isn't true. Because Hermione Granger choose everything she did, the three people who died today were dead because of the choices she made.

And now both of them are stuck with choices she made, he through trying to make amends for past sins and her for wanting to prove she was just as good if not better than the Purebloods who mocked her.

"The best thing to do now is to handle the whole thing the best we can," Albus tone sounds tired and first the time Severus's sees an old man before him. "Find Miss Granger you know her better than anyone else right now and bring her back, tell no one else about what has happened today. Tomorrow I'll make an announcement at breakfast that that there was an accident in the potions classroom that has ended with you and Miss Granger being admitted to the hospital wing."

"What if Potter and Weasley want to see her?," Severus asks, not being able to stop the frown that comes whenever he utters the word "Potter".

"Then you better get her back here before I run excuses of why they can't hadn't you then Severus!".

Severus doesn't need to hear Albus tell him that the conversation is over and he should get on with the task assigned to him.

So leaves and the questions that burn in his mind aren't asked, what happens to Hermione when he does bring her back? and how is Albus going to cover up the fact there are three Aurors laying dead his quarters?.


	2. Where were you?

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Harry Potter.

A massive thank you to everyone who has left a review or added the story to follow/favorites.

This time tomorrow they'd be back at Hogwarts and the familiar routine of lessons, homework and house rivalries would mend the rift between them or at least Hermione hoped it would.

It was her fault there was a rift there, not that Harry or Ron would say it. She's the one who spends all day and half the night surrounded by books, searching for an answer that everyone in Grimmauld place has assured her isn't there.

But nonetheless they let her search because they don't know what else to do, don't quite know what to say to her anymore.

It has been three weeks, three weeks since her dad died and her mum...Hermione shakes her head and bites the inside of her cheek to pull her thoughts somewhere else.

* * *

><p>Hermione doesn't need to look up to know it's Harry standing in the Black Library doorway after all these years she knows the sound of his footsteps; she can feel him looking at her like he's trying to figure out the right thing to say.<p>

" Mrs. Weasley has packed your Hogwarts trunk and wants to know if you're eating with us tonight or "

"Or hiding myself away in here all night?" Hermione interrupts with a blunter version of what Harry was going to say.

Hermione can hear Harry shuffling his feet and not for the first time in three weeks she wished she had said nothing at all.

"Tell Mrs. Weasley I said thank you and I'll eat with the rest of you. What are we having anyway?," Hermione asks, shifting her position and looking up at Harry.

"Some type of soup or at least I think it's soup, I was going to ask but I was afraid of the answer" Harry answers with the first genuine smile Hermione had seen since Cedric's death. Yet as quickly as the smile was there it was gone replaced by a determined expression.

"Where were you that day Hermione?," Harry asks, it was something that not only he wanted to know but something the Order really wanted to know.

" Mr. Weasley dropped you off at your parents, he returns and your dad is dead and your mum is barely alive the dark mark is hovering over your house an you're no where to be seen."

"I went for a walk. Now if you or Order don't believe that then its your problem" each word is cold and controlled, Harry can't tell if it is the truth or not and it scares him.

There's nothing in her eyes either, everything about Hermione is now screaming emotionless to him and the urge to retreat away from her is strong.

Hermione once again turns her back on him and the both of them know she won't be joining everyone for dinner like she said she doesn't take long for Harry to walk away and Hermione knows that he'll make excuses for her to the others.

She had replayed that day over and over again so many times that she could describe every word said and everything around her in her sleep; she'd asked the question a million times, if she hadn't met him or been so desperate for that book then would everything that day been different.

* * *

><p>Who was Hermione meeting?<p>

What book did she so desperately want?

Will the rift between the trio heal at Hogwarts?

Keep reading to find out the answers and drop a review to speed the process of me updating.


	3. The Only Thing I Had To Give

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Harry Potter.

A massive thank you to everyone who left a review.

Hermione couldn't help rolling her eyes as Ron and Harry moaned for the twelfth time in an hour about the announcement of Professor Snape being made the new defence against the dark arts teacher while continuing to teach potions.

They were acting like Professor Snape was teaching both just to make their lives miserable, Hermione believed he had better things to do than sitting around thinking of ways to make their lives miserable.

She was almost tempted to leave the pair underneath the Gryffindor Quidditch stands, but then she remembers that it was her idea not to go to their common room.

"And how is he going to teach us potions when I know for a fact that the first year Ravenclaws have Defence against the Dark Arts at the exact same time," Ron says, confused and proud of the fact he knows someone elses schedule rather than just his own.

"He is going to use a time-turner, I over heard Moody asking Dumbledore whether it's wise to let a Death Eater run around with a time-turner." Hermione tells the pair in tone that makes the two of them smile.

Because she sounds like the old Hermione, the one who puts her hand up in class and tells them off for not doing their homework. Both, almost,simultaneously , realise that it feels like a lifetime ago since she had spoken to them that way.

Everything seems the way it should between them as they discuss all the terrible things Snape could do with a time-turner, but only one of them realises it isn't.

* * *

><p>This isn't the first time Hermione Granger has snuck out of her dorm, out of Gryffindor towers in the dead of night.<p>

She doesn't need to see to make her way through the darkness to where she's going, because she's done this more times than she can remember.

She knows he's already there because the door is slightly ajar, not enough to let anyone else know that there is someone there.

"You look like hell" Blaise says from the shadows, making Hermione jump slightly at the unexpected sound before she mentally chides herself for it.

"You are such a smooth talker Zabini, how I'm able to resist you every time we meet is a mystery to me" Hermione mutters, glaring in the darkness.

"Did you get the book?" Blaise asks, stepping out of the shadows. He learnt along time ago to ignore Hermione's glare and comments.

When they were first years her glares had petrified him, he wasn't sure when he became immune to it.

"Of course I got it, I've put it in the usual place you can get it anytime you want," Hermione feels the urge to start laughing once she finished speaking. Not because what she said was humorous or the things she done funny, but because everything she'd done was so pathetically sad it was funny.

But she doesn't laugh, because the last things she needs is for Blaise to think she's cracking up.

"What exactly did you have to give Lucius Malfoy to get that book?" Blaise asks, his voice is full of guilt.

The book had the answer, he needed to save his mother's life and yet the one friend, he could never publicly acknowledge as a friend was the only one who was able to get it.

"The only thing I had that was worth anything to him, information. I gave him the names of half dozen death eaters that are spies for Dumbledore, " Hermione whispers, just loud enough for Blaise to hear. "It's funny really, while I was betraying one lot of friends to help another friend the person I was betraying them to must have known what was happening to my parents at the time".

Blaise can feel guilt rising from the pit of his stomach and hates asking her anymore, but he has to or everything she'd done would have been for nothing, "I'm going to need your help preparing the potion from the book".

"I know"

* * *

><p>Four spoilers for next chapter<p>

Snape

Blood of a tainted innocent

Mirror

The Dark Arts


End file.
